23 helmetless riders killed; 18 sustained serious head injuries leading to mental issues
Mysuru: In 2022, there were 1,55,622 deaths due to road accidents registered in India and 59.7 percent of fatalities occurred due to overspeeding, hinting that preventive measures need to be taken to reduce accidents and fatalities.
Mysuru city limits reported 777 accidents from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 and 168 of them were serious in nature causing loss of lives or where victims were maimed for life. 170 people were killed and of the total accidents, 609 were general accidents where 765 persons sustained injuries.
When compared to the data of three years, in 2021, 651 accidents were reported and 121 persons lost their lives, in 2020, 633 accidents and 122 persons died and in 2019, 866 accidents and 149 people died.
There has been an increase in the number of accidents when the data for 2021 and 2020 are taken into consideration. Among all these years, 2019 reported the highest number of accidents.
Notably, 23 persons died after refusing to wear a helmet in 2022. They either did not have a helmet or placed them on their vehicle petrol tank or hung them with their hands. 18 persons have been injured during helmet-less riding and they are still suffering from mental ailments. The highest number of deaths without helmets were reported from Krishnaraja Traffic Police Station where 14 persons lost their lives.
Five persons died after driving their vehicles under the influence of alcohol when they lost control due to overspeeding. A total of 12 persons were injured in drunken-driving.
Lion’s share of accidents at V.V. Puram
As per the data provided by the Police, the highest number of accidents occurred in V.V. Puram Traffic Police Station limits where 235 accidents were reported, 42 people lost their lives and 239 people sustained injuries.
After V.V. Puram, Siddhartha Traffic Police Station reported 198 accidents where 54 persons were killed from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 and 183 persons sustained injuries.
Krishnaraja Traffic Police reported 190 accidents, 51 deaths and 181 injuries. Next in line is Narasimharaja Traffic Police Station which reported 108 accidents with 20 deaths and 112 injuries. The least accidents were reported in Devaraja Traffic Police Station limits with 46 accidents and 3 deaths.
Sixty-four accidents were reported as the drivers did not have a Driving Licence and 76 persons did not have insurance. 78 cases were classified as overspeeding in all the Police Station limits.
In 2021, out of 651 accidents (118 fatal and 533 non-fatal), 121 persons lost their lives and 671 persons sustained injuries. .
In 2020, out of 633 accidents (118 fatal and 515 non-fatal), 122 persons lost their lives and 622 were injured.
In 2019, 866 road accidents (146 fatal and 720 non-fatal) were reported within the city limits resulting in 149 deaths and 909 persons sustaining injuries.
By S.T. Ravikumar
Thanks to the author for highlighting the road safety issues at this critical hour of need when we are making a transition to High Speed Traffic on expressways such as the NH 275. A large scale Road Safety Campaign across the State is essential to raise the awareness. Some important considerations all drivers (there has been a significant increase in owner drivers these days as against professional drivers) have to bear in mind to save themselves as well as other road users. A split second inattention can result in a disaster while travelling at high speeds.
1. Know the minimum distance/gap that all drivers have to maintain between the vehicle in the front and their vehicle at all times. There should be sufficient distance to stop the vehicle without colliding, if the vehicle in the front brakes suddenly. Lack of safe gap will end up in a pile up of vehicles.
2. Know how to change lanes. Estimating the clearance between the car behind in the adjacent lane, is there sufficient time to change lanes at the travelling speed, is the other driver willing to let you into his lane, how to communicate with other drivers etc. This is a critical skill while travelling at high speeds.
3. Always make it a point to check your vehicle for all safety issues ie tyre pressure, treads, brakes, seat belts, mirrors, blinkers, fuel, oil, coolant level etc. before commencing the journey on expressways
4. Changing lanes without giving sufficient notice to other drivers via the blinkers is a criminal offence.
5. Trucks, heavy vehicles and slow moving vehicles must always travel in the left lane
6, DO NOT drive if you are tired or lacking sleep. It is worse than Drink Driving. Drink Driving is a criminal offence.
7. ALWAYS, ALWAYS Wear seat belts and NEVER EVER even attempt to exceed speed limits. There will be a need to slightly accelerate to increase the gap between vehicle behind in the adjacent lane while changing lanes but this must be still be done keeping within the speed limits.
8.Reduce speed by 15 Km/hour when it is dark and raining. When the roads are wet, it is hard to control the vehicle when travelling at high speeds.
9. Use the high beam sparingly/judiciously. Have concern for other drivers. High beam while it improves visibility for the driver it can be blinding for other drivers and cause major accidents.
Safe Driving is a culture. We appreciate the speed, efficiency and smoothness of traffic in the so called ‘advanced countries’. The role of infrastructure is only 50%. The other 50% comes from the high level of Safety Awareness, Compliance and Social Responsibility demonstrated by its citizens.
‘Better be Safe than Sorry’, ‘Speed Kills’, ‘Better arrive a bit late than never’…… such messages must be displayed and Road Safety Campaigns must be done using all means including Social Media, Television, Graphic Advertisements, etc in local languages in every village.
It is a quantum leap from 50Km/hour start and stop, random driving culture to a seamless non stop 110Km/hour speed. Let us all enjoy and reap the full benefits of new infrastructure by observing and complying with the Safety Rules.
In developed countries, the road statistics (deaths due to accidents) will be a double digit number in low twenties per year at a National level. They have a target of ‘Zero tolerance’ towards fatalities on Road. Losing people in hundreds due to road fatalities in each city is appalling to put it mildly.
Urge our Honb’le MP to start and drive a serious Road Safety Campaigns regularly to raise awareness and prevent people from becoming complacent. Road Safety must become second nature to all our citizens. No one is exempt from following the rules, not even the most influential people such as leaders, kith and kin of politicians, senior police officials, businessmen, judges, …. any one for that matter. When it comes to traffic safety, no one is above law. Traffic offenders must be brought to books, publicised in the media with evidence to name and shame them. Every life is important.
Thanks to Star of Mysore for publishing this article. It demonstrates the role of the media in discharging its social responsibility and improving the road safety of the public. Look forward to seeing more such articles in raising the awareness of the public and help save precious lives.
Hey Lakshman Prasad
After your prattle of 9 does and dont’s-reminiscent of Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, a lesser person like you should first recognise that Indians do not want to know the right from the wrong. What they do it right, perhaps yourself, and what others do is wrong. How else, one can explain the endemic corruption, in politics, in institutions, in law enforcement agencies, and in the society. When money gets exchanged from hands to hands-large amounts of cash, the wrong becomes the right.
Do not bring in developed or Western countries. There is a bottom line here, where I live, in a Western country-that is ,bribes and corruption are no go areas, people observe the rule of law. Hence, the drivers know what is right and what is wrong in matters of road traffic. The ones who are caught , are the immigrants, coming from third world countries like India. How else, one can explain that the most doctors caught in bribery cases, and sexual acts cases on women patients are Pakistani and Indian doctors?They are the ones who care least for their patients, interested only in getting money whatever the means.
Your pontification works only in a country, where the population does not get added by one Australian population every year. here, every one wants a car, as a prestige symbol, an d the number of them massively increasing to the extent that traffic laws are no longer in operation.
Your ministers and officials want 40% commission on every contract awarded, your police from the commissioner down is plain dishonest- the previous Mysore Police Commissioner , Chandragupta boasted iin a press conference that he caught the gang who robbed the Jewellery Store in Mysore last year, where a by-stander was killed. But he DID NOT MENTION THAT HE FAILED TO CATCH THE LEADER OF THAT GANG WHO ESCAPED, AND IS KNOWN TO BE LIVING COMFORTABLY IN N. INDIA!
“In 2022, there were 1,55,622 deaths due to road accidents registered in India”
Despite @Lakshmana Prasad’s rants, this perhaps is the Nature way of reducing the run away population explosion in India, outstripping China, wholly unsustainable and a menace to Western countries when millions of Indians want to emigrate legally or illegally.